What we grow up to be
by AlwaysPadfoot
Summary: Ron always felt overshadowed, but then one day they grew up.


**What we grow up to be**

**AlwaysPadfoot**

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**AN**: the last section is supposed to be first person :) happy reading! xx

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**age four**

Ron held his mother's hand tightly as she guided him through the busy platforms of Kings Cross Station. His older brother, Charlie, was going to Hogwarts and Ron wanted to go too. Bill was already going, and Charlie, so he didn't see any reason why he couldn't go to Hogwarts . After all, he was magic too, just last week he'd levitated Ginny's doll away from her in the air. Mummy had told him off though, Ron didn't think that was fair considering Ginny had his toy dragon. Daddy had been proud, although he didn't tell Mummy that, it was their secret. Ginny was too young to come to the platform so she'd had to stay with Mrs Lovegood, but Ron had got to come. It was his first visit to the platform and excitement filled his every cell as they approached the barrier between platform nine and ten.

"Look, Mummy, there's the barrier," he shouted excitedly.

"Yes, that's it Ron," Molly confirmed, "Fred, George, stop irritating your brother."

The twins were tapping Percy on alternating shoulders, making him look round every few seconds, but as Mummy told them off they stopped immediately.

"Sorry, Mum," they grinned simultaneously. Ron shuffled impatiently as his mother directed Bill through the barrier accompanied by Percy. Fred and George went next, holding hands, and they were closely followed by Charlie, who Mum warned to keep an eye on the twins whilst she followed through with Ron.

"Ready, Ronald," Molly asked, as Charlie disappeared from sight.

"Yes, Mum," he answered, surging forward, pulling his mother with him. When they appeared on the platform, Ron was too over-excited to stop heading towards the group of red-heads even with his mother calling for him to stop over the hussle and bussle of platform nine and three quarters.

He pulled on his older brother's jumper sleeve, "Charlie, Charlie, tell Mummy I can come with you to Hogwarts."

"Ron – " Charlie began.

"I can go to Hogwarts too, Mum," Ron pleaded, "I'm magic too now."

Charlie looked to Mum and pulled Ron away from the group to speak to him alone. He crouched down to Ron's level, "Look, Ron, you can't go to Hogwarts yet."

"Why not?" Ron demanded, folding his arms in annoyance.

"Because you're too young for Hogwarts, you have to be eleven otherwise you can't do the classes," Charlie explained, "You don't want to fail classes Ron."

"But you and Bill get to go; I want to go too."

Charlie sighed and put his arm round Ron, who was still waiting for an acceptable answer. He didn't see why he shouldn't at least try Hogwarts now.

"You can't go, Ron, I'm sorry."

Ron threw his arms around his brother, tears brimming in his eyes. He wanted to go to Hogwarts, and he didn't want Charlie to leave either. He'd already lost Bill to Hogwarts and now he was going to lose Charlie too. He hugged his older brother tightly, sniffing slightly.

Ron still wanted to look brave like Bill.

Charlie picked his younger brother up, holding him tightly for a moment before he took him back to the family, passing him over to Mum. Ron buried his face into the crook of his Mum's neck, hiding his tears. Charlie would be going to Hogwarts and Ron would not be going. He sobbed harder. It wasn't fair. All of his brothers would go to Hogwarts before him, Bill and Charlie will have left by the time Ron even got there. He would never catch the Hogwarts Express with his two oldest brothers.

Ron wasn't sure what he thought was more unfair: not being able to go to Hogwarts or not being to go with his brothers.

He decided the latter was most unfair.

* * *

**age seven**

"Hogwarts letters are here," Bill cried, hurrying into the Kitchen where all nine Weasley's were having breakfast. Ron looked up from his cornflakes grudgingly, hoping that there were no more surprises in the letters. With Percy getting his Hogwarts letter earlier in the summer and Charlie making the Quidditch team, Ron didn't think he could take any more good news knowing the way his Mum always reacted.

Bill made a big mistake and passed George Charlie's letter. The twins passed it between them, holding it away from Charlie for as long as possible, until Mum got involved, of course.

"Fred, George, for goodness sake, give your brother his letter," she scorned, filling up the toast rack once again, "Arthur, tell them."

Dad's face was set in a grin until Mum gave him one of her glares. He coughed covering up his laugh, "Now boys, stop messing around."

"Alright Dad," they chorused, passing Charlie his letter.

There was a moment of silence before Mum spoke again, causing Ron's head to snap round, "Bill, what's the matter?"

The whole family turned to the oldest red-headed child who was standing with his letter in hand, staring at it, his face pale. There was something in his other hand. Ron shared a look with his younger sister before he looked to Charlie, who seemed shocked.

"Bloody hell," he laughed, "Bill's been made a Prefect."

Mum was the first one to react, "Oh Bill, I'm so proud of you. My, Arthur, we have a prefect in the family."

Ron rolled his eyes and stared back into his bowl. Of course Bill was going to be a prefect, in fact it wouldn't surprise Ron if all his older brothers ended up being prefects. Well, except maybe Fred and George. Ron looked on distastefully as his Mum kissed a mortified Bill on the forehead several times and hugged him tightly. _At least_ he wasn't being smothered by his Mum right now. Ginny met his gaze and Ron pulled a face which made her laugh into her toast.

"You think he'd set the bar at least low enough for us to actually reach," Charlie grinned, scanning his own Hogwarts letter. Ron reckoned that not even Charlie could be as good as Bill, but he made up for it by being on the Quidditch team.

Maybe when Ron got to Hogwarts, he could be on the Quidditch team or be a prefect, but then he probably couldn't be half as amazing as his brothers. Why did he have to be the youngest brother? Even Ginny, his only and younger sister, carried more of a family legacy. She was the first female Weasley to be born for several generations and what did Ron have?

Six older brothers, who'd probably do everything and anything Ron could have done before he even could get a wand fom Ollivanders.

He'd be a red-head. He'd be a Gryffindor. He'd be just another bloody Weasley.

When Bill managed to escape fom Mum, everyone seemed to be congratulating him so Ron closed his eyes and swallowed his food. He was proud of his brother, even if he didn't feel like celebrating, so Ron plastered on a more confident and cheerful expression before looking straight at his oldest brother and grinning.

"Nice one, Bill."

* * *

**age nine**

When Ron was two years away from Hogwarts, it was all about Bill again so he decided to hide away in his room for a long as he could. On top of the twelve OWLs Bill had received, he had obtained eight NEWTs, which apparently was some sort of Hogwarts record.

Ron scowled, sitting cross-legged and staring out across the green meadows that surrounded the Burrow. He thought it was pretty annoying that Bill had done so well and was getting all the attention now. Even though the oldest Weasley would be leaving to study curse-breaking, Ron was still annoyed. Maybe he was so irritated because Bill would be the first of his brothers to move out, maybe he would miss him more than he cared to admit.

He shook his head. No, Ron was annoyed because there was no way in a million years that he could go to Hogwarts and do just as well as his brothers were. He wondered whether in two years he would find a reason to be jealous of Charlie when he left Hogwarts, or whether he'd be too excited that he was finally going to the school he'd been waiting to go to for seven years.

Ron thought back to the previous morning. Charlie had been given Quidditch Captain and been made prefect. Bill, previously being head boy, had got eight Outstandings in his NEWTs. Mum had almost fainted from a perfect son overload and even though Dad had come in late that morning after some Ministry raid thing, he'd been overjoyed too. After congratulating his brothers, Ron retreated upstairs and stole one of the twins second-hand first year books. He could be a Bill, surely it wasn't that hard to get Outstandings. Ron got to page fourteen of the Beginners Guide to Transfiguration before he slammed it shut and tossed it onto the floor.

"Stupid Transfiguration," he mumbled.

"Don't let McGonagall hear you say that," a voice warned from the doorway.

Ron turned his head to find that Bill was leaning against the door frame of his room, his longish hair pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. Ron frowned and turned back around to look out the window. He didn't particularly want to talk to anyone right now.

"Hey, what's up with you?"

"Nothing," Ron answered sulkily.

"You know Ron, your ears go red when you're lying," Bill responded, "Just another annoying Weasley trait unfortunately. You can tell me anything, I'm your oldest brother."

"I'm never going to be as good as you and Charlie are," he mumbled in response.

To his surprise, Bill chuckled slightly, "I've made all the mistakes Ron. If only you knew what went on behind the scenes, it was really hard for me to get where I am today. Maybe I'll tell you when your older, but I wouldn't be surprised if you'd already figured it out by then."

"I bet you're only saying that," Ron replied matter-of-factly.

Bill put his hand on his youngest brother's shoulder, "Nope, I made all the mistakes because I didn't have any older siblings to tell me who to avoid or what to do at Hogwarts. You've got five of them."

"But you've been a prefect, you were head boy, you got eight NEWTs. Charlie is a prefect AND Quidditch Captain," Ron protested.

"You'll make your own way, become what you want to be. Every one of us is going to be something different one day, you'll see."

Bill gave him a short hug before turning around to leave the room. Ron tried not to scowl, but then grinned and ran after his brother. He threw open his bedroom door and shouted down the corridor after Bill. The older boy turned around with a querying smirk and a raised eyebrow.

Ron grinned, "Who do I have to avoid at Hogwarts?"

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**age eleven**

It was only a month before Ron went to Hogwarts when Charlie left to go to Romania. Then after that, Percy became prefect too, so Ron was practically itching to finally go to Hogwarts after all the years he'd waited. Just like he had seven years ago, Ron was dodging Muggles in Kings Cross Station. Mum had hold of Ginny's hand and the twins had rushed ahead of them. Percy was at his side and somehow Ron found some comfort in the presence of his most sensible brother. He most definitely wasn't concentrating on the speech his mother made every year.

"– packed with Muggles, of course –"

Ron tuned back in just as they reached the end of platform nine, when his Mum stopped to survey her surroundings. Ginny held her hand tightly, standing patiently at her side.

"Now, what's the platform number?" She asked. Ron could hardly believe how often their Mum forgot what platform they should be at. Honestly, it was like she didn't have seven children that had been attending Hogwarts since 1982.

"Nine and three-quarters!" Ginny piped up, "Mum, can't I go... "

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."

Ron frowned at his mum's abruptness, he felt slightly sorry for Ginny for several reasons. One, he'd got much more sympathy when he'd begged to go to Hogwarts, two, Mum had always been much stricter with Ginny and three, he and Ginny had always been close at home. They bonded over their repressed feelings for their older brothers' achievements and Ron always explained, like Bill had once, that one day they would be completely different and achieve things that none of them ever had.

Percy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, he had vanished.

"Fred, you next," Mum said.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," Fred responded with a smirk. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred," he grinned, and off he went. George called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone too. Ron wasn't entirely sure how Hogwarts dealt with the two Weasley pranksters, but he guessed if they'd made it two years without getting expelled, it couldn't be that bad. He was about to start forward when a timid voice stopped him.

"Excuse me," a dark-haired boy said to Mum. Ron took a quick look around. It appeared the boys parents were no where to be seen. He crinkled his nose, at least his parents had let him go onto the platform without the whole family in tow.

"Hello, dear," Mum said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too."

She pointed to Ron and he blushed as the boys huge green eyes flickered to him for a split second before he addressed Molly Weasley once again.

"Yes," the boy answered. "The thing is – the thing is, I don't know how to –"

"How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and he nodded. Ron took a few moments to study the boys luggage, it all looked in perfect condition. He felt somewhat embarrassed. Ron had Bill's old trunk, Charlie's old wand and Percy's old rat, Scabbers, because he'd gotten an owl for becoming a prefect.

"Not to worry," Mum said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platform nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."

"Erm okay," said the boy, pushing his trolley around and staring at the barrier. Ron raised an eyebrow at the boy, he guessed the black haired figure must be a Muggleborn because he seemed extremely worried at the prospect of running at the wall. Soon enough he ran through the barrier and Ron was called forward by his mother.

"Your turn Ron," she smiled, "Ginny and I will follow you through."

Ron rushed forward through the barrier, hoping to catch up with the black haired boy, maybe they could sit together on the train so at least then he would have a friend before he got to Hogwarts. Unfortunately, when Ron got onto the platform, the boy had already disappeared into the crowd of people rushing to get their kids on the train. Grudgingly, Ron headed towards Percy, who seemed to have lost track of the twins.

Once Mum had arrived with Ginny, the twins came flying out of no where, "Guess what. Guess what!"

Fred and George then proceeded to tell the group that the messy-haired boy who'd been on the Muggle platform was Harry Potter. Ron was astounded, Harry Potter, the boy who lived, asking his family for help? Maybe he could go and sit with him, but then why would the famous Harry Potter want to sit with him. He was famous and rich and Ron wasn't. Then again, why would Harry Potter not know how to get onto the platform? His parents couldn't have let him be on his own. Because his parents were –

Immediately Ron felt bad for being jealous of Harry getting to be alone to come to platform. Maybe he'd go and find Harry after all, he'd probably need cheering up or something and Ron could do that. He had to cheer up Ginny loads of times.

With one last unwanted kiss from his Mum, Ron Weasley boarded the Hogwarts Express.

* * *

**age eighteen**

Bill once told me that _every one of us is going to be something different one day_ and even now as I looked at my family, surely he didn't predict this.

Our family gathered in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Bill, Charlie, Percy, George, Ginny, my parents and myself, stood just a few feet from the body of our fallen family member. George was inconsolable and Percy simply held him close. He'd been the last to see Fred alive and I could have sworn that Percy had whispered about it being his fault.

Bill had his arm around Charlie's shoulders and I felt almost vacant as I held onto Ginny who was crying into the crook of my neck. My oldest brother never would have predicted this.

As I looked round at my family, I realised just how right Bill was about us. We were all bound to be something that the others weren't, all destined for different paths and futures. Bill, I'd always considered the smartest, so it made sense that his future was forged with riddles to solve. Charlie, who'd always been the most caring, but also the most daring, had become a fantastic dragon tamer and had braved the fury of many an angry dragon. Percy, who'd always tried to be the most sensible of all of us, reckoned that the only time he'd made a joke had cost us a brother. Yet he stood calmly at George's side and kept him from falling to his knees. I considered him the bravest of us all and one day I swore he'd be Minister.

A flicker of amusement breezed through me, but I held it down and pulled Ginny closer to me as I thought about how George would be feeling. The twins had always been inseparable, the pranksters of our family and even Gryfffindor for a long time. Even though they'd built their business together, I still felt that George would carry on their legacy, because even when they were apart they mirrored each other like the other was still at their side.

I knew that Ginny, Ginny who braved the Carrows and fought bloody brilliantly in these last few hours, would be even more amazing than she was now one day. I'd never tell her of course, but I always reckoned she'd be brilliant, even more than me.

Later that day, I reflected on all those moments in my life where I reckoned my brothers superseded me. I'd been a part of something so much bigger than I'd imagined since the day I chose to find Harry Potter on the Hogwarts Express. I'd done things my brothers and sister never had too, and yes, it had its ups and downs, and yes sometimes I debated whether I was even useful. There had been moments over the years where I felt left out and unhelpful, but when I realised how much Harry, Hermione and I had done together, I knew I never should have felt like that.

When I looked back at those moments where my brothers seemed to be doing something amazing, I realised I hadn't just been part of one big thing for a few years. No. There was a second thing that I'd always been and always will be a part of and that's the Weasleys.

I would always be a Weasley.

And we were all destined for great things.


End file.
